Overview
- The Committee on Government Efficiency, which voted unanimously on Thursday, July 23, approved five City Charter amendments to appear on the November ballot.
- One measure would simplify revocable-consent rules for public space by combining sidewalk and roadway dining permits, removing mandatory public hearings and cutting the approval timeline from about eight months to roughly two months.
- A bundled question would let the Department of Transportation fast-track certain bike, bus and street‑safety projects by reducing interagency sign‑offs, which COGE says could speed those projects by about one‑third.
- Other proposals would let the Procurement Policy Board tailor pre-contract questionnaires and shorten contracting timelines, create a centralized hub for roughly 40 construction permits now split across 18 agencies, and move waterfront permitting to the Department of Buildings.
- The package sets a 12% rainy day fund target that budget experts criticize as weaker than the comptroller’s 16% recommendation, and good-government groups and the City Council warned the ballot questions bundle unrelated reforms in ways that could reduce public oversight; if voters approve the measures they would take effect March 1, 2027 and COGE will continue as an advisory body.